Automatic dumping device.



No. 888,434. PATENTED MAY 19, 1908. J.- W. WEAVER. AUTOMATIC DUMPING DEVICE.

APPLICATION IILED JUNE 22. 1907.

- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W/ T/VE SSE S MWo ATTOHNE VS NO- 888,434. PATENTED MAY 19, 1908. J. W. WEAVER. AUTOMATIC DUMPING DEVICE.

PPLIOATION FILED JUNE 22. 190 A 7 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED S TATE S 1TENT OFFICE.

JOHN WILSON WEAVER, OF SKIDOO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO MATT HOVECK,

OF SKIDOO, CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMATIC DUMPING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 19, 1908.

Application filed. June 22,- 1907. Serial No. 380,251.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN WILSON WEAVER, a citizen of the United States, and a' resident of Skidoo, in the county of Inyo and State of California, have invented a new and Irn proved Automatic Dum ing Device, of which the following is a ful clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to automatic dumping devices, and more particularly to'that. 'classof dumping device used in connection contents 0 the same by the movement of the .bucket'upon guides.

A further object of the invention is to pro-,

vide a dumping devicehavin an apron operated by the movement of the. bucket, partially to cover the shaft or excavation, to prevent'the accidental return of part of the contents of the bucket when the latter is dumped, and having supporting means controlled by the movement of the bucket for holding the bucket in the dumping position.

The invent-ion consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

and in which Figure 1 isasid'e elevation of my invention showing parts in cross-section and indicating different ositions of certain'parts in dotted outline; 2 is a similar view showing parts in different positions; Fig" 3 is an elevation showing parts broken away and parts in cross-section; -Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-section on the line 44 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a similarview on the line 55 of Fefore proceeding to a more detailed expl'anation of my invention it should be understood that the same is particularly applicable for use in connection with mines and other excavations. It is customary to provide hoists for removing the ore or excavated material, having buckets for carrying the same, which are raised to a suitable point where the bucket is dumped to empty it of the contents. The dumping of the hoisting buckets is usually manually effected, or requires careful controlling by an operator.

To avoid the necessity ofan operator for the dumping bucket, I providelautomatic means controlled by the movement of the bucket for dumping the same. At the same time,

-I provide -an apron, particularly useful in connection with mine shafts, adapted to be, swung into position artially covering the shaft when the buc et passes along the guides, so that when the contents of the bucket are dumped the apron revents' the return of any. of the same into t e shaft, the apron beingat an angle and directingth'e material away from the edge of the-shaft.

The operation of the apron is quite automatic, being held in an operative position to permit the passage of the bucket, operated y the movement of the bucket, and again returned to an inop' rat'iveposition when the bucket returns after dumplng.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents the walls of a shaft such as is often encountered in mines and the like. At 0 posite sides of the shaft 1 are arranged para lel members 2 of timber or any other suitable material and separated a suitable distance to constitute guides, the members 2 presenting therebetween a guide-slot 3. I. provide a dumping bucket 4 of any preferred or common form and material. The bucket 4 has near the bottom at opposite sides, projectin guide-pins 5 secured by means ofa suitable bracket 6 and rivets 7 to the bucket. The pins 5 are arranged at one side of the center of the bucket, so that when the .8 is operated by a hoisting engine of any common or preferred type and the bucket returns into the shaft gravitationally when the drum of the hoisting engine is released.

An a ron 9 of sheetmetal-or any other materia suited to the purpose, is hinged by' means of laterally-dis osed extensions Y10 and hinge-pins 11 at t eedge "of the shaft. When the apron 9,is in a substantially vertical or operative position the bucket can pass.- freely therebeyond. The apron 9 is arranged to swing into position against the guides as indicated most clearly in Fig. 2. [n the op erative position shown in F ig. 2 the apron obstructs the shaft, so that when the bucket is dumped. as shown in dotted outline in Fig. 1, the material slides over the apron to the side of the shaft and thus none'of the con tents oi" the bucket can possibly fall back into the shaft. One of the guides has an elongated recess 12 at the inner face thereof, with a covering member 13 of sheet metal or the like arranged flush with the face of the guide. The covering member 13 is secured in position by means of suitable bolts or rivets 14 and spacing blocks 15. Pivotally arranged within the recess is a dog 1.6 pivoted upon a suitable pivot-pin 17. The dog 16 has opposite arms 18 and 19, the arm 18 of which normally projects across the guide groove 3. A bell-crank lever 20 is similarly pivoted in the recess and has an arm 21 presenting a shoulder 22. The shoulder 22 serves to engage the apron 9. at an edge thereof to hold the same in an inoperative position. The bell-crank lever 20 has an operating arm 23. When the bucket passes upwardly along the guides the pin 5 at one side thereof comes into engagement with the arm 18, moving the same upwardly and above the dog 16, so that the arm 19 engages the arm 23 of the lever 20, thereby in turn pivoting the latter and disengaging the arm 21 from the apron 9' to permit the same to fall into an operative position as shown in Fig. 2. r The arrangement is such that the 1 arm 18 is operatively engaged by the bucket in its upward movement only, the pin of the bucket, when the latter returns, engaging the dog inoperatively, the bell-crank lever 20 lying undisturbed. The apron 9 has a rigid arm 24 presenting a slot 25. Abell-crank lever 26 is pivoted in the recess 12 above the dog 16, and has an elongated arm 27 disposed towards the apron and presenting a laterally offset pin 28 operatively arranged in the slot 25. The lever 26 hasan arm 29 normally lying adjacent to the guide groove 3. A dog 30 is pivoted in the recess 12 and has an arm 31 normally projecting across the guide groove 3, and an offset arm 32. IV-hen the bucket is moved upwardly along the guides until a pin 5 comes into engagement with the arm 31 of the dog 30, the latter is swung about its pivot pin, the arm 32 engaging the arm 29 of the bell-crank lever26. The bell-crank lever 26 is swung about its pivot, the arm 27 moving upwardly to swing the apron 9, into the inoperative position shown in Fig. 1, so that the bucket in its return down the guides can pass freely beyond the apron. The arrangement -.is such that in its downward movement the bucket inoperatively engages the dog 30, the latter being actuated to operate the apron, only when the bucket moves upwardly upon the guides.

'posite to the arm 36.

The opposite guide has a similar recess 33 with a covering member 34 secured in position by rivets 14 and spacing blocks 15. The recess 33 -is arranged substantially opposite to the portion of the recess 12 between the dogs 16 and 30. Arranged in the recess 12 between the dogs is a swinging supporting member 35 having an arm 36 normally downwardly disposed and presenting a recess 37 and an inclined edge 3K The supporting member 35 is pivotally mounted upon a suitable pin 39 and has a curved arm 40 op- A similar supporting member is arranged in the recess 33 of the opposite guide. The arrangement of the supportmg members is such that the arm 36 normally presents the recess 37 at the guide groove 3, the inclined edge 38' extending transversely of the guide groove. The arm 40 normally extends in an upwardly-inclined position across the guide groove 3. W'hen the bucket moves upwardly along the guides until the pins 5 come into engagement with the inclined edge 38 of the supporting members, the latter aredisposed to one side to permit the bucket to pass beyond the arm 36 to permit the pins 5 to engage the recesses 37. Inthis way the dumping bucket is pivotally supported by the swinging members 35,- and when the hoisting cable is released the bucket automaticallyswings into the dumping position shown most clearly in Fig. 4..

It will be remembered that the pins 5 are offset to one side to permit the bucket automatically to dump. Then the bucket has been'emptied of its contents, the cable is ops 1 erated to bring the bucket into the vertical position and to continue the upward move ment of the same upon the guides. In the upward movement the pins 5 pass beyond the arms 40 of the swinging members 35, pushing the latter to one side and above the same and operate the dog 30 to return the apron-9 to theinoperative position. The bucket is then allowed to return downwardly upon the guides. hen the pins 5 engage the upper sides of the arms 40 the swinging members are turned upon the pivots and make a complete revolution as the bucketpasses thereiiieyond, the arm 36 being disposed to one side thereby to permit the unobstructed passage of the pins 5 in the guide grooves 3, the bucket being free to travel down the mine shaft.

The operation of the automatic dumping device of my invention is simple: The loaded bucket in traveling upwardly upon the guides first operates the dog 16, which throws the apron 9 into an inoperative inclined position resting against the guides. Continuing the upward movement, the bucket comes into engagement with the swinging members 35 and is supported thereby. The hoisting cable is released and the bucket dumps automatically. hen the bucket is emptied, the

9 to an inoperative position.

hoisting cable is again operated and the upward movement of the bucket upon the guides is continued until the bucket operatively engages the dog 30, to return the apron The hoisting cable is thus released and the bucket gravitationally returns along the guides into the shaft.-

It will be understood that the shaft and guides may be inclined atany suitable angle and that thebucket may be of any common or preferred type. The bucket may be 0 er atcd by any hoisting mechanism suitec to the purpose.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patcntz- 1. In a device of the class. described, in combination, guides, a bucket arranged to travel u on said guides, means for advancing said buc et along said guides, and means for pivotally supporting said buckets to diimp the contents thereof, said supporting means being displaced by the movement of said bucket upon said guides, said bucket engaging said guides at one sideof the center of gravity of the bucket whereby said bucket tends to' tilt when the advancing'means therefor are not actuated.

2.. In a device of the class described, in combination, guides, a bucket arranged to travel upon said guides, means for advancing said bucket along said guides, means independent of said bucket for pivotally supportmg the same to dum the contents thereof, and means controlle by the movement of said bucket for displacing said supporting means to permit the bucket to return upon said guides, said bucket engaging said guldes at one side of the center .of gravity of the bucket whereby said bucket tends to tilt T when the advancing means therefor are not actuated:

In a device of the class described, in combination, guides, a bucket arranged to travel upon said guides and having pins engaging said guides, said pins being secured to said buckets at one side of the centerof the same, and means for engaging said pins pivotally to support said bucket to dump the contents thereof, saidv supporting means being displaced by the movement of said buckets on said guides.

4. In a device of the class described, in

combination, a guide, a bucket arranged to travel upon said guide, a movable supporting member presenting an arm, said arm being adapted pivotally to engage said bucket to support the same to dump the contents thereof, and. means controlled by the movepient of said bucket for displacing said mem- 5. In a device of the class described, in combination, a' uide, a bucket arranged to travel upon sai guide, and a pivoted supporting member presenting an arm for pivotally holding said bucket to dump the,contents of the same, said arm being displaced to engage said bucket by the movement of the same upon'said guide, said member being displaced to permit the bucket to return upon said guideby a further i-novemcnt of the bucket upon said guide.

6. In a device of the class described, in combination, guides, a bucket arranged to travel upon said guides, and pivoted members having arms normally disposed towards 1 said guides to engage said bucket pivotally to support the same,to dump the contents thereof, said members having further arms engaged by said buckets when moving beyond said first arms, whereby said members are displaced to permit the return of said bucket upon said guides.

7. In a device of the class described, in combinatioin'guides, a bucket arranged to travel upon said guides, and pivoted members having arms presenting recesses and inclined edges, said arms being normally disposed towards said guides, said bucket havmg projections cngagmg said inclined edges when saidbucket is moved towards said .members and displacing, said members to engaged by said projections in tic return movement of saidbucket whereby the members are disposed to permit the unobstructed return of said bucket.

8. In a device of the class described; in combination, guides, a bucket arranged to travel upon said guides, a movable apron between said bodies and independent of said bucket, andmeans controlled by the move ment of said bucket for operating said apron.

9. In a device of the class described, in combination, guides, a bucket arranged to travel 11 on said guides, a hinged apron, a

. stop for olding said apron in an inoperative position, a pivoted member controllable by said bucket to disengage said stop, and means controlled by the movement of said bucket for returning said apron to an inop erative position.

10. In a device of the class described, in combination, guides, a bucket arranged to travel upon said guides, a hinged apron adapted to swing toward said guides, a pivoted lever removably engaging said apron to hold the same in an inoperative position, a

l pivoted member operated by the movement of said bucket in one direction to disengage said lever, said member inoperatively engaging said bucket when the same is moved m the other direction. a pivoted arm operaltively engaging said apron, and a second permit. the engagement of said projections pivoted member operated by the movement of the bucket in one direction to control said pivoted arm, and said second member inoperatively engaging said bucket when the same is moved in the other direction.

11. In a device of the class described, in combination, guides, a bucket arranged to travel upon said guides, a movable apron,

means controlled by the movement of said bucket for operating said apron, and means for pivotally supporting said bucket to dump the contents thereof.

12. In a device of the class described, in combination, guides, a bucket arranged to travel upon said guides, a hinged apron, means for holding said apron in an operative position, means controlled by the movement of said bucket for operating said apron, and

upon said guide, a movable apron, and means controlled by the movementof said bucket for operating said a non. I

14. In a device of the cl ass described, in combination, guides, a bucket arranged'to travel upon said guides, pivoted members presenting arms for pivotally holding said bucket to dump the contents thereof, said arms being displaced to engage said bucket by the movement of the same .upon said guides, said members being further displaced to permit thebucket to return upon said guides by the movement of said bucket in the opposite direction, a hinged apron, a stop for holding said apronin an inoperative position, apivoted releasing member controllable by said bucket to disengage said stop, and means controlled by the movement of said bucket for returning said apron to an inoperative position.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

JOHN WILSON WEAVER. Witnesses:

AUsTIN YOUNG, J. FRED DULING. 

